A drastic arrival
Posted on Sat Sep 25th, 2021 @ 4:23pm by Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik & Lieutenant JG Heather De La Rosa {Kelea-Salik} & Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant Tate Sullivan Ph.D. & Lieutenant Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen [Taylor] & Ensign BF 345078 (john Snow.) [Sthilg]
Mission:
Season 5: Episode 2: Operation Save Humanity
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Late MD7/early hours MD8
2382 words - 4.8 OF Standard Post Measure
{ON}
Alicia awoke in Sickbay, she offered the best smile she could muster under the circumstances. Breathing wasn’t easy with the damage the dart had done when it hit her, but she was reassured by her father’s presence.
" Lay ssstill my dear." The gorn said worryingly as he looked at the medical results. This was worrying. His artificial hand was still curled into a fist from when he'd heard the news. Dam that bastard green. Let the dark one devour him forever.
She put her hand on her bump. “Is my.... baby alright?!”
The pause from the gorn was enough to send dread through anyone. " Ssshe'sss alive, but her lifesssignsss are weak. I can sssave her, but well need to do an emergency c sssection. " He said quietly in a very weak voice.
“What!!?” Alicia hadn’t expected that response, her emotions immediately went into panic overdrive. “A c section!” She looked around, knowing Savar would most likely be on the bridge knowing she was in safe hands with her adoptive father. “I ...” She paused as something distracted her attention, her gaze turning back to Sthilg. “My... water broke!”
The gorn's hand shook as he looked. Her water had broken and you didn't need to be a trained doctor to know that there shouldn't be that much blood. " It'sss okay little one everything'sss going to be alright." He said calmly as his hand steadied. He had a job to do and he wasn't going to loose any of them. Snapping into his doctor mood he picked up a cloth and held it to her to steady the bleeding.
Snow was gathering drugs when his systems detected the counselor's heart rate skyrocket. Teleporting over he could already see what was wrong and immediately prepared a weak stimulant for the pain and to thicken her blood.
Sthilg smiled at his nurse as he did his work. " Let'sss get the team down here and prepare for the c sssection and inform Sssavar." He said knowing the excom was already doing it.
Meanwhile Heather had joined them, and dressed in her medical apron ready to assist where necessary, knowing what Alicia, and her baby meant to Sthilg she was going to be there for them all whether Sthilg approved or not.
Alicia’s head was reeling from the news, the concussion, and now blood loss. Tears ran down her cheeks as she lay trying not to fall asleep, she trusted her father to take care of her but she needed Savar and Tate too. “I wanted... to give birth... naturally.”
Heather looked at Sthilg she knew very well a prolonged labour with the amount of blood loss Alicia was experiencing could well be fatal. “It’s in your notes from your prenatal appointments, but if we wait too long...” Heather let the sentence trail off. “Tate and Savar will be here soon, how’s about you tell us about your plans. Have you decided on a name?” She looked at Sthilg giving him a nod to say she’d keep Alicia awake for as long as she could.
“We err...” Alicia paused, “We wanted... to wait until she... was born.” She closed her eyes before the first wave of labour pains started to kick in. It was more like stomach ache but an ache that got worse instead of better. Her daughter wasn’t planning on hanging around.
“It’s okay” Heather offered a smile as she took Alicia’s hand. “We’ve both done this with Tate, just breathe your way through. The painkillers will take some of the edge off, your father is preparing for a c section as we speak.” At that moment the sickbay doors opened.
Savar arrived in Sickbay, to say he rushed in would be wrong but he moved with a purpose, looking for and seeking out the doctor. "Doctor." He stated finding the CMO preparing to go into surgery. "What is the matter? I was informed Alicia is here."
The gorn returned in his surgical robes. " We have an emergency Sssavar. Alicia came in with a punctured lung, we need to do an emergency c-sssection. I'll need you for sssomething very sssoon."
Heather had been doing her best to keep Alicia calm, taking a moment she headed over to where Sthilg and Savar we’re talking. “Excuse me Doctor, Alicia’s contractions are increasing, as is the amount of blood loss. Alicia is adamant she wants to give birth naturally but I’m not sure how much longer her body can sustain this.” She looked to Savar. “She needs you Commander.”
Savar nodded briskly, put on a mask and went to Alicia. She was his concern and he needed to be with her.
Sthilg returned in his surgical gear with the necessary tool he'd needed for this operation.
Tate strode briskly into Sickbay, the nurses directing her to Alicia. Already, it looks like there was a small army of medical staff milling around Alicia, and Sullivan could tell by their gear they were prepping for surgery. This fit the information Tate already knew, but the brief and curt message didn't explain why this had suddenly become necessary. All the counselor knew was Alicia had been in some sort of accident.
The last thing Tate wanted to do was be in the way, but nevertheless, she wanted Alicia to know she was there for her and was prepared to be there for Savar if he wasn't permitted to stay with Alicia. From what she was learning and had experienced herself in training, in cases of emergency procedures, loved ones weren't typically allowed to stay, as circumstances changed rapidly in emergencies and it could be much more traumatizing for loved ones in the long run.
Of course, it wasn't lost on Tate this experience could be especially traumatizing for the Gorn doctor, who had suffered the loss of his own children. Tate could feel her own adrenaline flowing. She loved Alicia, and although it was irrational, a small part of Tate felt guilty this was not the birth experience either one of them prepared for.
Tate and Heather locked eyes, and Heather generously stepped to the side to give Tate an opening. Sullivan knew she would wouldn't have much time to talk with Alicia, but she wanted to make it count. Placing a gentle hand on Alicia's shoulder, she offered, "Look at you and little one up ending the birth plan. She's not even here yet and she's already a rebel," Tate added with a smile.
Alicia tried to offer a smile but it fell somewhat short. “This isn’t ... what I wanted Tate!” She gazed into Tate’s eyes. “I wanted to ... give birth ... naturally!!” her forehead was covered in perspiration, so much so her hair was sticking to her face and neck. She offered a weak smile as she saw Savar, holding out her hand for him to hold.
He moved instantly to her, taking her hand in his and holding it gently. "I am here Alicia. Everything will be alright. Let the doctor and nurses help you and our child." He said gently as he picked up a washcloth and gently wiped the perspiration of her forehead before bending forward and kissing her softly.
The gorn was breathing heavily this would be difficult. " Okay, let'sss get the urinary catheter inserted. " He said as his team got to work. They'd need to drain Alicia bladder before they could create the first incision.
Heather had prepared the local anaesthetic that Alicia needed, she carefully focussed the hypo where it needed to be to numb Alicia’s lower half so she wouldn’t feel the surgery needed to safely bring her daughter into the universe. “Local is in” She offered Alicia a smile. “Don’t worry you won’t feel a thing, if anything feels wrong to you just let us know.” She offered Savar a smile even though she was feeling just as nervous as Alicia.
Alicia nodded and gripped Savar’s hand she trusted her father, and his medical team, but the whole experience was overwhelming.
"Alicia." Savar spoke quietly, focus your mind on me, the sound of my voice. There is nothing else but us. Do you understand? Focus on me." He repeated.
Tate had every intention of leaving the room and taking Savar with her if it became necessary, but everything was happening so quickly, Tate could not bring herself to leave, only to take several steps back to allow the medical team to get to their patient. Sullivan couldn't explain it, but the confidence and hopeful elation she felt moments earlier began to wane and her heartbeat started to pound in her ears. She didn't need the monitors to tell her things were not going as planned, even considering the state of emergency they knew they were facing.
Sthilg carefully made the first incision with all the training and concentration his many years of work had taught him. There was a lot of blood far more than there should be. Snow already moved in with a small suction pipe to mop up as much of the blood as he could. " I will not let you take her. " He muttered as he was saying the protection prayer in his head doing anything to keep the monster away.
Alicia was focusing on Savar, trying to hold onto their connection. Her concentration was rapidly starting to wane, her physical strength was failing her as fast as the blood loss.
Heather was monitoring the readings, as well as doing her best to keep Alicia conscious. She was becoming ever more concerned, the readouts were almost at critical levels. “Doctor ... readings are approaching critical.”
Savar's face was a mask as Heather announced the readings. He bent forward and whispered in Alicia's ear, all the while holding her hand.
I will not let you take them the gorn ran the words through his head as his fingers carefully made an incision along the womb's out layer. Shrinking his artificial arm as small as it could go he carefully lifted the small wriggling hybrid from within as he took a cloth to wrap her in. His heart froze that she was quite for what felt like an eternity until with a cough that covered him with bodily fluids the tiny girl began screeching. " A might set of lungsss with this one." He said looking to Savar and his daughter giving the two of them a smile.
Alicia managed a weak smile as a few happy tears ran down her cheeks at the sound of her daughter crying. Moments later she was unconscious, the biobed alarms sounded as a massive haemorrhage added to the sheer amount of blood she’d already lost.
"Doctor...." Savar said in his cool, unruffled voice yet still managed to convey a sense of urgency to the CMO and Heather.
" No, no no no no I am not losssing another daughter. " The gorn yelled as he handed the girl to Heather and indicated for her to hand her to Savar as his hand flew into action. He needed to find the source of the bleeding and fix it fast. His figures delicately searched as he switched on all of his arms medical scanner until.....
" Found it. Two damaged arteoriesss i need sssealent now." He yelled.
Heather had quickly yet gently handed the baby girl to Savar offering a reassuring smile. She fetched the sealant the Gorn Doctor needed, “Sealant” she handed it to Sthilg. The monitors were now registering flat line, if they didn’t hurry there’d be no chance of bringing Alicia back at all at least not without brain damage from oxygen starvation.
Savar took the infant but his attention was on what was happening with Alicia as the doctor and nurses were a beehive of activity around her biobed. He looked at the baby in his arms. "Do not cry. Your mother is going to be fine."
Tate came forward to stand just behind Savar. She told herself it was because she wanted to offer him physical support, as his attention was understandably on his wife and not solely on his newborn daughter, but in truth, Tate had wanted to lay eyes on the newborn herself. This little girl was all Alicia wanted, and Sullivan felt an obligation to see she was okay in her mother's absence. Fortunately, the baby seemed relatively stable and a good size despite her traumatic entrance into the world.
Unfortunately, none of them could say the same for her mother. Looking at the two contrasting scenes, it was impossible to comprehend. Tate's heart was in her throat.
The gorn worked at a speed even he didn't know he had as he kept muttering " You won't take her monster you hear me." The first one and then then the second arteries were patched. " Clear." He yelled to his team as he activated the biobeds defibrillator. A smile came to his face as the wonderful sound of a weak, but steady heartbeat returned to the monitor.
" Thank you all mother." He said panting slightly. " Okay, we have a lot of work to do to patch her up. Let'sss get to it people."
Heather breathed a large sigh of relief, she looked to Savar and nodded even though she knew Alicia had a long way to go before she was back to full health again. “Nice work Doctor” She offered Sthilg a smile.
Savar was stoic as always on the outside however on the inside he was anything but, He had worried how he would raise two small children if something had happened to Alicia. Thankfully that would not be the case but she would still need his help until she was able to look after the children.
It was a long operation which even tested Sthilg stamina, but after many hours he collapsed into a chair after fixing up his daughter. Now her life signs were stable and rising though he felt a gut punch in the stomach at what he couldn't fix. Alicia womb had been very damaged from the accident. It would be highly unlikely she'd be able to bear another child even if she went through long repair process. How was he going to tell her that?"
{OFF}